


Swinging Under the Stars

by Stargirl4Ever



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Character Analysis, Cute, Dancing, F/M, First Dates, Flirting, In Character, Modern Era, Reader-Insert, Steve Rogers is not a prude
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-28
Updated: 2014-10-28
Packaged: 2018-02-22 22:59:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2524841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stargirl4Ever/pseuds/Stargirl4Ever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Steve Rogers convinces you to stay at his apartment in D.C. a little longer than necessary, you discover that he's far more than just the poster child of the Avengers, and that your feelings towards him are shared far more than you realize.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A cute reader insert story that I used as the medium to study Steve Rogers's character traits and personality.

“So he keeps sending you these?” You asked, picking up the cover of the vintage Decca 78 record, showing it to Steve.

You were standing by Steve’s record player, listening to the song _Hot Time In The Town of Berlin_ by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters. Steve was sitting on his couch, drinking a can of Coca-Cola.

“Yeah. It’s kind of like he’s trying to be nice.” He said, making you laugh a little.

“I saw how he acted towards you on the helicarrier.” You said. ‘He’ referring to Tony Stark of course. He apparently sent Steve items from the 30s and 40s quite often. You decided to change the subject. “What’s your favorite song?”

“I’m assuming from way back then.” He took a sip of his drink, looking at you. “ _I’ll Be Seeing You_ , Bing Crosby, I think. Though it's a bit different from the jazz I usually listen to.”

You thought about the choice, hearing Bing’s voice in your head and being reminded of listening to the song in your childhood.

It was the first day that you were staying at Steve’s apartment. You had been called to S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ for an oral report of your latest mission, and when Steve found out that you needed a place stay in Washington, D.C., he offered to let you stay with him for a few days.

One of the first things you noticed was that he didn’t have a TV. Well, actually he _owned_ one, but it was stored in his closet along with some other technological presents courtesy of Stark Industries. He only brought them out when he wanted to use them, the only thing being out was his MacBook sometimes on the kitchen table, occasionally an iPad. 

You asked him why once, and he'd jokingly said, "You know I'm not good at those sort of things." He would say that around Stark and Bruce Banner, just to amuse himself.

So, you decided to check out his music collection, and he was more than happy to oblige.

Later in the evening, you helped him make macaroni and cheese from scratch, which was a whole lot easier than you thought it would be. The dinner was good and informal, and you learned more about Steve and his hobbies.

“What've you been doing to pass the time lately?” You said, wanting to know more about him. Being an Avenger meant sometimes working at close quarters with your teammates, but that didn’t necessarily mean that you got to know them very well.

“Running, listening to music, _catching up_.” He said slyly. You wondered what it would be like to have to take in decades of modern history and culture.

“And sketching.” He said as he smiled. “I’ll have to show you sometime.”

He leaned forward, refilling his empty bowl with more of the delicious pasta. Of course, not before offering some to you.

After dinner, you helped clean up, and then you had to tackle the subject of sleeping arrangements. Steve beat you to it.

“You can have my room.” He said pointing to his room with his thumb. “I changed the sheets, and cleaned it some.”

You smiled, unsure of what to say at first. “And you...You’ll...”

“I’ll take the sofa.” He said, brushing his face a bit awkwardly.

You tried to imagine his large form crammed on the relatively small couch. Then you wondered if he’d ever had a girl stay over at his place before. You felt a coy smile creep onto your face, but you changed it around. “Sounds great!”

You’ll admit, it was a bit cheesy, but you didn’t want him to see what your smile was really about. Sure, Steve might be more than ninety years old and from the 1940s, and maybe just a bit old-fashioned, but he _certainly_ wasn’t a prude.

“Night, ma'am” He said, tilting his head and smiling sweetly.

“Night Steve!” You raised a hand to him before turning to go to his room. You’d have to remind him to call you by your first name next time.

You closed the door behind you and pressed your back to it, biting on your lip. Were you fangirling, or did you actually like him?

You looked around the clean room, noticing the simple furniture and various items from Steve’s era. It was almost straight out of a photo of a typical room of the time.

You got ready, and crawled into the large bed. You closed your eyes, hoping that Steve wasn’t too uncomfortable on the couch. You also thought about how you would check in at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ tomorrow.

The sheets smelled like the homemade laundry soap you made with your family when you were younger, and the room smelled a bit like cologne and old leather from the jackets hanging on coat hooks. The vintage clock clicked peacefully.

He definitely was on your mind when you fell asleep.

You woke up the next morning to light knocking on the door.

“__________?” Steve called lightly.

You were a bit dazed. “Uh...Come in?” You sat up in bed.

Steve looked at your messy hair and smiled. “I wasn’t sure when to wake you.”

“That’s okay.” You said, squinting and looking at the deco clock.

The flipping numbers read 8:32 AM. You needed to be at HQ at 10:00.

“I hope you like eggs. I also made some toast with butter.” He said giving a nod, turning to leave and closing the door.

“Sounds great!” You called after him. You jumped out of bed, almost tripping on the sheets. You changed out of your pajamas, wriggling into your jeans and pulling on a S.H.I.E.L.D. issued shirt. It was the casual uniform, not the official uniform like the letter from Agent Maria Hill told you to wear.

You prayed they wouldn’t be too mad. Can someone get fired from the Avengers?

You hastily made the bed and brushed your teeth, fixing your hair for a second. Steve had seen your infamous bedhead, so did it really matter? You still made yourself look presentable.

“This looks good.” You said taking a seat across from Steve at the table. He handed you a plate and pushed the bowl of eggs and the plate of toast with some cut apple towards you. Steve was the kind of guy that liked to serve all meals family style.

“Thank you.” He said. He was always so humble. You served yourself and happily ate the food.

“I hope you slept okay, y’know on the couch and all.” You said, wanting to make sure he was really alright.

“Ma'am, believe me when I say that I’ve slept in _much_ worse conditions.” He said with a smirk.

You couldn’t help but laugh, covering your mouth. Sometimes Steve could be really funny.

Still smiling, you spoke. “Call me _________, next time.”

“Sure. __________,” he said. You helped clear the table and put the food into Tupperware, and then helped Steve do the dishes. When you were done, you looked at your watch and felt your heart flutter with nervousness.

“I’ve got to catch the bus.” You said, about to run back to Steve’s room to grab your hoodie and some money. Steve stopped you, holding your wrist.

“If you want me to, I can take you there on the Harley,” he said, looking at you.

Your eyes lit up, and your mouth opened a bit. You regained composure. “That would be cool.” Riding on _Captain America’s Harley-Davidson_ with _Captain America_? So many yes.

You put your thin hoodie on, and he put one of his leather jackets on. He held another one of the leather jackets to you and helped you put it on. “It’s a bit large, but it’ll keep you warm.”

“Thanks.” It _was_ big, but it looked good on you when you saw yourself in the mirror.

Parked on the sidewalk, you saw the amazing vintage motorcycle. He handed you a helmet.

“No helmet for you, though?” You said, not really expecting an actual answer.

He got onto the motorcycle, and you got on behind him. He moved your hands around his waist, pulling you tightly against his body.

“Two things, __________. First, in my time, helmets weren’t required by law.” He revved the engine to life. He had to raise his voice so you could hear him over the loud rumbling. “And second, I’m superhuman, remember?” You could hear the smile in his voice.

You laughed, and then felt the motorcycle move forward. You felt the wind whip past you, and your grip on Steve tightened. You wouldn’t tell anyone, but it was the first time that you had ridden on a motorcycle. Snowmobiles, jet-skis, hoverboards, yes. But not motorcycles. You had a smile on your face the whole time.

You could see the Triskelion building in the distance, and soon your were crossing the bridge over water the separated the HQ from the rest of the city, then the bike came to a stop.

Steve helped remove your helmet and jacket, and walked you into the building. “I’ll be outside when you're done. From my experience, the report shouldn’t take too long.”

“Thanks again Cap, for everything.” You said with a smile before going to report to Agent Hill. Steve normally didn’t like the nickname, but when you used it, he didn’t mind.

Turns out, the uniform thing wasn’t a problem like you had worried it would be. Although you didn’t look as professional as the people you were reporting to, they didn’t seem to mind. You were only in the Triskelion for like 45 minutes.

“What took you so long?” Steve said jokingly.

“Ha. I was so worried that they’d get after me. I haven’t told anyone but the board, but I got in trouble on the second day of the mission. I was able to right myself, but it sure was a setback.” You confessed.

Steve nodded with a smile and told you that it happened to the best of people. He handed you the helmet and the jackets.

You smiled and readied yourself for another super-fun bike ride. It was one of those things that you’d never forget the feeling of.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's totally a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of the things Steve likes and does in this fic are canon.

“Man, they told me to make the preparations to be gone for a week.” You said, mostly to yourself, zipping your bag up and pushing it out of the way. You had changed out of the S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform shirt into a much more comfortable _Jurassic Park_ T-Shirt, and you put on your sneakers. 

“There’s plenty of things to do here in D.C.” Steve said standing in the doorway, glancing away when you quickly slipped your shirt off to change. “Have you been to the Mall? Or even the Smithsonian? You _could_ stay a bit longer.”

 You noted how he looked away from you so politely. “I’ve been to D.C. so many times, but I’ve never actually _seen_ it.” You said, looking up at him. You pondered his asking for you to stay. Maybe it was you taking off your shirt.

“Well then. I think I know what we’ll be doing this afternoon. We could walk to the Mall. I go there to run every morning.” He said, not commenting further on his request to you.

“Let’s do that.” You said, standing up. He was considerably taller than you, and you still had to look up at him.

The two of you spent a couple hours strolling around the Capital, and he took you to a small cafe for lunch. They swiped an ID card, and Steve didn’t have to pay a thing. He later explained that the government paid for everything he did.

It was totally a date.

“Did you ever go to college?” You asked, using the lunch date as another opportunity to know more about him.

“Yeah, I did a year of art school.” He said. Captain America did art school? Why did that not surprise you?

“Hm. An art kind of guy.” You said, kind of aimlessly.

“Yup. It’s what I was really interested in. Still am. The Smithsonian Art Museum is one of my favorite places to go and think.” You were listening attentively, but noticed that Steve looked over your shoulder at something.

You waited a bit and turned your head briefly to see some people taking photos of you and Steve through the front window of the cafe.

You pointed a thumb in their direction with a smirk. “Does that happen a lot?”

“If you want, we can leave.” He said, concerned for you.

“No, it’s fine. I don’t really get noticed often, and when I am, they always think I’m a different superhero than who I actually am.” You said with a smile.

“Barton told me that the same thing happens to him a lot too.” Steve said.

“ _Hawkguy_.” You said, making both yourself and Steve laugh. You were fond of the archer, and had a fair amount missions with him.

Back at the apartment, Steve asked you if you wanted to go out for dinner later.

“Where?” You asked, curious about where he would take you.

“Nothin’ fancy. Just a burger joint down the street that I like to go to every Wednesday night.” He said, a bit sheepishly.

“That sounds good.” You said with a smile. Another date with Captain America! You practically sang in you head. He could see it in you, and it made him smile back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve asks you to a dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what I had in mind for the dress:
> 
> http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c9/19/db/c919dbc4c6121bfb3e52b912164e2985.jpg

“The menu says that this place is 1950s themed. I think I’d have fit in pretty well in the 50s.” Steve said, looking around the restaurant as though he had never been there before.

An older-looking waitress in a powder blue waitress costume walked over with a smile. “The usual Steve? I see you brought a _lady friend_ this time. Good for you!” She winked at him.

“Yes.” Steve said, laughing a bit. You weren’t sure if he was responding to the food order, or you being his “lady friend”.

“What’ll you have, sweetie?” She said, ready to take down your order. The food place luckily had your favorite food, and you ordered that.

“So, what did you order?” You asked Steve while waiting for your food.

“ _The Great Classic All-American Burger_.” He said with a tone that conveyed mocking pride. He pointed to the name on the menu.

You laughed. “What else should I have expected?”

The jukebox was playing some typical 50s rock, a good accompaniment to the food.

After a bite of his hamburger, Steve commented. “I love rock’n’roll, but nothing beats some good old-fashioned swing.”

You liked the way he used the term “old-fashioned.”

When you got back from the diner, Steve brought out his sketchbooks and turned the radio to a station that played soft jazz.

He sat down on the couch next to you, and he showed you landscapes and buildings he had drawn in one of the sketchpads. His art was amazing, ranging from realistic sketches to cartoons he made up.

Then he showed you a notebook full sketches of people. On one of the pages, recently drawn, was sketch of you. You looked at him briefly, and then back to the drawing. You were unsure of what to say.

The drawing was kind of intimate, and you could see that time and care had been taken in it's creation. The expression on your face was one that he had seen himself. Fierce, protective, calm and slightly unsure. It was your “battle face” during the incident in New York with Thor’s brother and the Chitauri and Tesseract.

“I hope you don’t mind.” He said, after you were quiet for a while.

“It’s really great. Not many people would guess that you draw so well.” You complimented him.

“__________?” He asked, getting your attention. You anticipated what he was going to say to you.

“There’s this dance being held at the USS Barry, World War II themed, on Friday night. Are you interested in being my date? I know that it’s a bit last minute, and you probably don’t have anything to wear, but we can make it work. If you want to go, of course.” He asked. He was so polite.

“I’d love to, Steve.” You smiled happily. Honestly, it sounded like a dream come true.

Steve dug in his pants pockets and pulled out a crumpled flier. “Swinging Under the Stars.” He tried to say seriously, but laughed instead.

“Sounds like senior prom.” You said, giggling. Steve agreed with you.

When you said goodnight and closed the door to Steve’s room, you dug frantically in your bag to make an emergency phone call.

You pulled out phone and went into the bathroom, shutting the door. Dialing the number, you hoped he’d pick up.

“ _Hiya_.” The voice on the other side said.

“Tony, it’s an _emergency_.” You said with all seriousness.

Tony Stark replied in a way that you should have prepared for. “Your pregnant.”

You tried not to laugh, but failed. “Cap’s asked me to go to a 40s theme dance with him.”

“ _And_?” Tony asked. You could his face expressions in your mind’s eye.

“ _Dress_?” You said. If anyone could help you out, it would be Tony.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered.” He said confidently. “It’ll be delivered within a day.”

“Don’t you need my clothes size—” Tony cut you off.

“You know, J.A.R.V.I.S. can do a lot more than make coffee.” He said, bragging.

“Thank you! So much!” You said, relieved.

“No problem. When you have an issue, just call your richest friend.” He said laughing. “The only condition is that you come visit me to show me how the dress looks on you.”

“Yeah, sure. Just so you can flirt with me again, right? Bye Tony.” You said, smiling. He said goodbye, and hung up.

You let out a sigh that released any worry that was left over from earlier.

The next day, Steve showed you some famous things in D.C. like the museums in the Smithsonian, various memorials, and even several art galleries and museums. You also got to learn that Steve wasn’t all about American patriotism, but about freedom and human rights.

You were walking back to the apartment for dinner, you decided that you wanted to hold Steve’s hand. Flirting wasn’t exactly your strong suit, but Tony had told you one day that Steve liked strong girls. And strong girls wouldn’t be afraid to hold hands, right? You mentally prepared yourself to make the move.

While talking, you casually moved your hand to his, and squeezed it lightly. He didn’t stop walking, but he looked at your face, a small smile adorning his face. You didn’t look away this time.

He squeezed back, lightly of course. You took initiative again, and interlocked your fingers with his. The two of you were quiet now, but words weren’t really needed.

When you got back to the apartment and closed the door, he turned to face you. He hadn’t let go of your hand, and was stroking his thumb over the back of it. You shut your eyes, and smiled a bit. You felt him lean forward to kiss you, and you tilted your head back...

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK._

The knocking startled you, and Steve pulled away, looking at you cheekily.

“Who is it?” He asked whoever was on the other side of the door.

“Delivery for a __________?” He said. Steve opened the door, taking the package from the delivery guy and handing you a clipboard for you to sign.

“Thanks.” You said closing the door and taking the package from Steve after returning the clipboard.

“So, what’s in the box?” Steve asked casually, pointing at the package.

“It’s a surprise. For tomorrow night.” You said. If that didn’t give what was in the box away, what could?

“Can’t wait to see.” He said, smiling and walking to the kitchen. He totally knew what was in the box. “Speaking of surprises, can I make dinner by myself tonight?”

“If you want to, sure.” You said, wondering what he had in mind. You went to his room and opened the box to see a neatly folded article of clothing wrapped in some sort of plastic. There were several other pieces too. In the bottom of the box was a shoebox.

You unwrapped the first thing to see that it was a lovely navy blue pinup-style dress, with a thin black belt included. The other items were white, period accurate underwear and nude stockings. Only Tony would send you them.

The shoebox was light blue, and Tony had scribbled something onto the lid.

_For you to dance the night away. -Tony_

Opening the box, you found a pair of low heeled saddle shoes, great for dancing. Also in the bottom of the box was a wave iron for your hair and some makeup. That, and a condom, another courtesy of Stark Industries. You hid the condom in the bottom of your bag, hoping that nobody would ever find it.

You slipped the dress on to see that it fit perfectly, and you put the belt on, defining your waist incredibly. The dress accentuated your curves, making you look like a model from the era. It would look great on Friday. The shoes and undergarments were comfortable too.

“__________? I uh, ordered dinner.” Steve called to you. You began stripping as fast as you could to change back into your jeans and shirt and put away the dress.

“Ordered, huh?” You said, opening the door and leaning against the frame. You were a little out of breath.

“Thought we’d do something a little more to your speed.” He said, moving to the living room you followed him to see that he ordered a large pizza, moved the TV and hooked it up to a DVD player, and got plates out.

“This looks great. I love pizza!” You said gleefully. “So, what movie?”

Steve held up a DVD with a familiar cover. “Hope your okay with the film “Rocky”, I know it’s old, but I’ve been meaning to watch it for some time.”

“Awesome.” You said, happy to watch it with him. He popped it in, and the two of you sat on the couch comfortably.

“It’s the, eye of the tiger! It’s the thrill of the fight!” You sang along, Steve laughing at you. “Rising up to the challenge of our rival!” It was really great to watch the movie again.

By the end of the movie, you were leaning your head against his shoulder, and he was holding your hand.

“That was a lot of fun.” You murmured, tired. “But I’m going to go to bed. After I help clean up, though.”

“Hey, you can go to bed. We might both be heroes, but it takes a lot for me to be tired. Besides, I think I’ve gotten enough sleep for one lifetime.” He said smiling at you.

You got up. “Thanks, for everything.”

“Anything for my best girl.” He said in a sweetly old-fashioned way. You thought over his words.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the final chapter of this story, you have a lot of fun and Steve finally does what he meant to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a lot of fact-checking for this fic, and Steve really would feel like he was doing everything out of order. Dancing wasn't a date night, going to dinner would be more of a date, then came going steady, and finally staying at his house.  
> This was fun! Thanks for reading!

When you woke up the next day, you were giddy, even through the dance was hours away. You had woken up considerably earlier than usual.

You walked into the living room to see Steve sitting and sleeping on the couch, with a blanket that looked a little too small. You sat down on the opposite side of the couch and closed your eyes for a bit. When you opened them, Steve was gone, but there was a note on the coffee table.

 _Gone for quick errands, be back soon._  

It was so _Steve_ , to leave a note. You got up, deciding to look around the apartment a bit, not snooping, but just looking at the things that were already out. You especially liked all the framed art and prints.

On a table was an old photograph of a woman whose face you recognised in photos at the S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ. Her name is Peggy Carter, one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D. You recalled Steve’s and her story, and how they loved each other. You smiled and continued looking around the apartment.

Steve had a lot of books. Old, new, and some _really_ old. He liked to read a lot, figuring that it was one of the ways he spent his time. There was actually a lot for him to do since he didn’t actively use a lot of technology. He also had newspapers that he read every day. You moved the famous shield that was leaning against the wall to see the scratched front design. It was a whole lot lighter than you had imagined it to be.

You turned to a vintage radio, clicking it on. It was tuned to a station that only played oldies and newscast reruns. _In The Mood_ by Glenn Miller was playing.

Steve had a lot of baseball memorabilia, both old and modern. He had a lot of game ticket stubs, recent ones too. The idea of him enjoying himself at a baseball game made you happy.

“I’m back!” He called to you, entering the apartment. “Hope I wasn’t gone too long.”

You turned to face him. “Hey Steve!”

You spent the day reading and chilling, listening to music and talking. The two of you made breakfast and later had sandwiches for lunch. Although you didn’t do many exciting things, it was nice to spend time with him.

Soon enough, the dance was an hour and a half away.

“Let me go grab something from my room, and then you can get ready in there.” He said, getting up from his chair.

He emerged with a medium sized box, and you went into his room to shower and get ready.

You put on the undergarments to see that they worked well with the dress. You did your hair, but didn’t take too much time. You put on a small amount of makeup and looked yourself over in the mirror, happy with the way you looked. You really did look like a girl from a 1940s pinup painting.

You walked to the living room to see Steve sitting on the couch, fidgeting his hands a bit. He was wearing an olive green and tan World War II military uniform, looking amazing.

When he looked up at you, his face instantly lit up. He stood up.

“Gee...You look _really_ great.” He said boyishly, blushing a tiny bit. His blush was probably nowhere near the intensity of yours, though.

“You do too.” You said, looking down at your toes and brushing your hair behind your ears.

It was quiet for a moment both you and Steve looked each other over again.

“Let’s go dance.” He said casually as he hailed a cab after you left the apartment building.

You arrived at the ship museum USS Barry to see it lit up against the dark night sky. It really set the mood.

The dance was being held on the deck of the ship, and you could hear the live big band music already in full swing.

Steve paid for the tickets with the S.H.I.E.L.D. card, and you entered the dance. There were a lot of people there, all dressed in period costumes, most of which were inaccurately from 1950s. You and Steve were among the most authentic in the crowd. Lots of people were looking at the both of you.

Neither you or Steve could dance as well as some of the people there, but you managed and looked great while doing so.

The live band was great, and when the familiar notes of Benny Goodman’s “Sing Sing Sing” began, Steve smiled widely and you began the basic swing dance steps to the music.

“This is one of my favorites!” Steve said over the music.

“Me too! It transcends the ages!” You said in between breaths.

“Kinda like me?” Steve joked, the two of you laughing.

Later, you and Steve took a break, sitting at one of the tables to have a drink.

“So, does this dance ring any familiar bells?” You asked, wanting to make conversation.

“More than I thought it would. Glad the uniform still fits.” He said, gesturing to himself.

You noticed the mood of the music was getting more romantic, and people were starting to slow dance.

“Wanna ditch the drinks?” He asked you, subtly asking you to dance with him again.

“Love to.” You said, smiling and taking his hand. The epitome of wartime romantic songs began to play: _Moonlight Serenade_ by Glenn Miller.

You and Steve swayed lightly to the music while in close proximity. You laid your head against his chest. After a few more songs, people began to leave, and Steve asked you if you wanted to back to his place.

Back at the apartment, he closed the door behind you, and you were standing with him the way you had the other day.

“Nobody better interrupt this time.” He said softly, pulling you close to him, his hands on your waist. You smiled put your hand up to his warm cheek.

Steve leaned forward, placing a kiss to your lips. Both of your eyes were closed, and he pulled away after a few seconds. You stood on tiptoes and kissed him back,  neither of you moving away for a bit.

“I feel like I’m doing everything in the wrong order, but do you maybe want to stay a little longer?” Steve asked you.

“Yes.” You whispered with a smile. Steve kissed you again, hugging you. If staying with Steve would be just like this, you would never want to leave.

Steve kissed you on the forehead. “Awesome.” He said, the modern word sounding out of place coming from him. You laughed, and hugged him back tightly.


End file.
